1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of shelters, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for an outdoor, above ground, relatively inexpensive to construct shelter for protection from severe weather.
2. Prior Art
Unsafe weather or natural climatic forces can strike without adequate warning causing property damage and placing human life in grave danger. These natural climatic forces often demolish homes and buildings. When humans remain indoors during such natural catastrophic events, they are in further danger from falling debris and from the possible collapse of the surrounding structures. For this reason, it is often advisable that persons evacuate their home or building or that persons remain in secured locations, such as basements. However, many homes lack basements, and people are often without safe shelter during these events.
Protective shelters have been recognized and utilized to protect humans from catastrophic weather, such as thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Not unexpectedly, such shelters have evolved and the prior art discloses an array of such shelters.
U.S. Pat. No. RE 26,121 to Jackson discloses a type of building construction that incorporates a means for resisting sudden shocks and for minimizing injury to occupants should the building collapse. The building has outwardly tilted walls, so that if the building collapses, the walls will fall outwardly away from the occupants. This building is a tethered permanent structure and only tangentially is a weather shelter.
U.S. Pat. No. 356,975 to Moss discloses a prefabricated shelter that has wall panels bowed and secured together in a dome-like structure. The multiple wall panels provide flexible joints, and allow ease of construction. Moss ""975 is not a unitary structure and does not have a weighted slab base for optimal stability of the weather shelter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,468 to Hampel discloses a double-wall tent structure quickly erectable over a central bench or hole. The tent structure includes tightly woven, rip-resistant fabric panels supported by tensile rods or wands, a tub floor extending into and lining a central trench or hole, and an exterior, light-reflecting, metalized, semi-transparent disposable membrane. The bottom circumferential edge of the outer membrane extends into a shallow trench or ditch, excavated around the perimeter of the inner tent structure. This is a lightweight tent structure likely incapable of withstanding a tornado or hurricane and thus not likely to protect humans from catastrophic weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,568 to Armanno discloses a hurricane shelter generally comprising a dome shaped cover, a cylindrically shaped base wall, and a central column. In its lower position, the dome rests on the base wall and provides shelter in an internal safe space for use in times of emergency, while the central column enables the dome to be raised and locked in its upper position well above the base wall to provide access to the safe space. The base wall forms a circle in plan view, matching in size the diameter of the lower portion of the dome that rests on this wall. The circular base and the dome shaped cover provide low resistance to the winds and to provide the strength to resist the force of hurricane winds, the base wall is connected to a foundation that is typically located on or below ground level. The foundation usually is constructed of heavy material such as concrete, and if desired, even greater strength and weight can be added by including a footing for the foundation. This structure is somewhat complex and is not likely to be manufactured in an inexpensive fashion. Moreover, the structure lacks an entrance doorway and thereby forces the user to raise the dome-like structure prior to entrance. The base is stabilized by adding additional weight on the base, which can further increase cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,343 to Jackson discloses an apparatus and method for a storm shelter that can be used aboveground and belowground, and may be skin supported. Jackson ""343 discloses that its top, front, and rear surfaces can be made from a single, curved piece of material, and, that its sides are made from two straight pieces of material, all of which pieces are mounted onto parallel curved fine members which are mounted onto a base frame that is anchored to a foundation. This shelter preferably is a corrugated metal skin attached to a foundation. Importantly, this structure is not dome-like to withstand strong winds and does not disclose a stabilized, secured base.
While the prior proceeds to disclose an array of weather shelters, what is needed but not found in the prior art is a weather shelter that can withstand catastrophic weather and can be manufactured in a flexible, inexpensive manner.
The present invention relates generally to the field of shelters, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for an outdoor, aboveground shelter for protection from destructive weather that is relatively inexpensive to construct at a central manufacturing facility and to transport to a site or, alternatively, to construct on site. The weather shelter in one embodiment comprises a dome, a base, cables, and spikes, wherein the dome is secured over the base by passing cables imbedded into the base through eyelets around the lower periphery of the dome and securing the cables to the earth via spikes.
The dome is a relatively lightweight and strong partial sphere having a hinged door allowing passage therethrough. For example, the dome can be manufactured from Kevlar(copyright) or other high-strength materials. The base is a relatively heavyweight and strong disc. For example, the base can be manufactured from concrete or other heavyweight materials. The tie-cables preferably are embedded in the base and are relatively high strength structures. For example, the tie-cables can be manufactured from steel cables or other high tensile strength materials. The tie-down rods are relative high strength stakes. For example, the tie-down rods can be metal stakes such as those used to stabilize utility poles or other high-strength materials.
The base including the embedded tie-cables either can be prefabricated at a central manufacturing facility and transported to the final site on a flatbed truck, or can be manufactured at the final site. For example, for a concrete slab base, the base can be poured and set, and the tie-cables embedded in the unhardened concrete, at a central manufacturing facility. Alternatively, if the base is poured on site, concrete for the base is poured or placed on a generally level surface (it may be necessary to level the surface prior to installation), tie-cables are embedded in the unhardened concrete, and the base structure with the embedded tie-cables is allowed to harden.
The dome comprises eyelets or attachment holes spaced along or proximal to the lower peripheral edge of the dome. The dome is placed over the base and the ends of the tie-cables extending out of the base are passed through the eyelets. Preferably, the tie-cables comprise a loop or some other attachment means through which the tie-down rods can pass and anchor the tie-cables to the ground. The tie-cables typically are of sufficient length that they will extend (that is, can be placed, inserted or hammered) into the ground a sufficient distance to safely and securely anchor the base to the ground. By passing through the eyelets in the dome, the tie-cables in conjunction with the tie-down rods anchor the dome to the base and/or the ground.
One enters and exits the shelter through a doorway, closed by a door. The door has hinges to attach the door to the shelter, creating a doorway. The door is reversibly closable to the dome by a sealant material such as, for example, a Velcro(copyright) hook and loop type of fastener, a zipper or zippers, snaps, hooks and eyes, or the like. A handle allows the user to open and close the door. The use of a Velcro(copyright) hook and loop type of fastener allows air to enter and exit the shelter for breathing, and also allows the pressure inside of the shelter to equalize to the pressure outside of shelter.
These features and advantages of the present invention and the complementary method for installing the invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments is read in conjunction with the appended figures, in which like reference numerals represent like components throughout the various figures.